Thill-coupling.



No. 653,837. Patented July 17, I900; e. P. BEASLEY.

Tl-llLL COUPLING.

(Applicntiol; flled llay 9, 1900.)

NrTnn STATES PATENT FH Q GEORGE PEOK BEASLEY, OF MAYSVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRD TO JOHN A. REED, OF SAME PLACE.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,837, dated July 17, 1900.

Serial No. 16,074. (No model.)

Application filed; May 9, 1900.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE PEOK BEAS- LEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Maysville, in the county of Mason and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Thill-Oouplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to that class of thillcouplings which so connect the thills or a pole with a carriage that they may be disconnected without removing the coupling-bolt; and its object is to provide a coupling which may be parted to disconnect it from the coupling-bolt without the aid of a wrench or any other tool.

To this end my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts forming a thill or pole coupling hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure I represents in side elevation a thillcoupling according to my invention. Fig. 11 represents a pole-coupling of the same character in longitudinal vertical section, and Fig. 111 is a top view of such a pole-coupling parted or opened to be disconnected from the coupling-bolt and clip.

Let 5 represent a clip provided with ears 6 and a bolt 7, as usual, for hanging a pair of thills or a pole to the axle of a carriage.

8 represents the body, and 9 the flanges, of a packing in spool shape, surrounding the bolt 7 and separating both it and the ears 6 from the body 10 of the coupling. This coupling-body is made in hook shape to extend partly around the body of the packing 8 and is open at the lower side to admit the said packing when coupling the thills or pole to a carriage.

11 is a segment or door of the coupling used to complete its cylindrical bearing upon the packingbody 8 and pivoted at 12 to the 45 coupling-body, so that it may be swung down in opening the coupling for removal from the packing and bolt.

13 is a spring made of Wire extending across under the door 11, thence passing along the sides of the coupling-body to the pivot 12, around the ends of which it is coiled, and

thence extending as levers lat to engage catches 1-5 on the coupling-body. The normal form of this spring 13 when free is shown by dotted lines 16, and considerable force is required to press the levers 14 down into engagement with the catches 15. At such times the spring 13 rotates around the pivot 12 as a fulcrum, and when the arms 14 are engaged with the catches 15 the opposite end of the lever presses very firmly against the door 11 to close it upon the packing. This closure of the door by a strong spring prevents looseness and rattling on the packing, and the heads or flanges of the spool-shaped packing interpose cushions between the coupling-body and the clip-ears. To the end that this packing-spool may serve as an an tirattlercushion I make it of papier-mach compressed wood-pulp, hard rubber, or some similarly- 7o firm yet non-metallic substance. A coupling with a separable or open bearing is necessary to admit the spool-shaped packing to its position for service. To connect with a carriage a pole or thills provided with this style. of coupling, it is only necessary to press the levers 14 free from the catches 15. Then the spring 13 will be free to swing around its pivot 12, and the door 11 will fall open, so that the coupling may be hooked upon the spools. '80

Then by pressing the levers 14 into engagement with the catches 15 the spring 13 will close the door 11 upon the spool. The door is thus locked with yielding resistance that prevents looseness and consequent wear. The packing-spool is thus forced to do all its rotating upon the bolt and not relatively to the coupling. Therefore the coupling will never be worn out at this bearing. By merely setting free the levers 14 the doors 11 drop open and the thills may be removed from the carriage.

No wrench or other tool is needed to operate this thill-coupling to couple or uncouple the thills or pole provided with it.

Having thus fully described my invention,

What I believe to be new, anddesire to secure body to engage the lever ends of the said by Letters Patent, is the following: spring, substantially as described. 10 In thill and pole couplings, a coupling-body In testimony whereof I affix my signature having a hook-shaped bearing with an openin presence of two witnesses.

5 ing at one side; a door pivoted to the body to GEORGE PECK BEASLEY.

close the said opening; a spring hung as a le- Witnesses: ver to bear upon the door and pivoted to the JOHN Y. DEAN, coupling-body, and catches upon the said CHAS. M. HANCOCK. 

